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I had a similar problem with my '00 e38 Sport. One Summer day I decided to give my ride a thorough cleaning. I pulled off the bottom moldings only to find bubbling along the bottom seams. I grinded off all the beads to see corrision along the bottom of the seams on 3 of the 4 doors. A couple of doors had to have the beads removed halfway up the doors!.

Took the car to Meadowvale Collision (part of the Atlantic group of companies) and had them do finishing prep, bead, paint. I pass by this palce everyday. Carstar and European wanted a lot of money for the work which I couldn't justify. Once I got the car back it gets Winter stored after an annual oil spray to keep corrosion at bay.

It's been four years since I had the repair done and so far so good. No more reappearance of the cancer.

Pretty easy. The moldings fit by friction. You'll need to coax the molding off the bottom door's edge. I used a flat screwdriver to get at the top of the molding and a hammer to gently nudge the molding off the panel. To reinstall just line up one corner of the molding and wack it back on with your hand or soft mallet.

I was totally blown away at how much moisture is trapped within the molding. Now I know why the edges would rust out faster since there's no where for the water to drain. I think a better way to reduce the moisture problem is to drill numerous holes along the bottom of the moldings to allow for any moisture to drain away. It won't show since it'll be at the bottom of the door and will be hidden when the door is closed anyways. (I just talked myself into another Spring/Summer project!)

Pretty easy. The moldings fit by friction. You'll need to coax the molding off the bottom door's edge. I used a flat screwdriver to get at the top of the molding and a hammer to gently nudge the molding off the panel. To reinstall just line up one corner of the molding and wack it back on with your hand or soft mallet.

I was totally blown away at how much moisture is trapped within the molding. Now I know why the edges would rust out faster since there's no where for the water to drain. I think a better way to reduce the moisture problem is to drill numerous holes along the bottom of the moldings to allow for any moisture to drain away. It won't show since it'll be at the bottom of the door and will be hidden when the door is closed anyways. (I just talked myself into another Spring/Summer project!)

I have a feeling im going to join you on this project. I have rustophobia...terrible thing i tell ya ...

Thanks for the instructions. Going to check that asap.

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Die Dämmerung..............when dusk began to fall, when dawn begins to break

It can be washed properly....all u need is a high pressure hose...i am aware of the problem...wash the car with a high pressure hose along the gap between the side skirts and doors...the high pressure creates a channel of water that takes all the salt out...its not water tht creates the corrosion..its the combination of salt and water....by the way i wasnt referring to your comment otherwise i would have quoted it....i meant it is a good idea to wash the car especially more often when driving in winter....there are other areas such as a pillers and fuel and brake lines that tend to get corroded in these cars aswell...

Washing them MORE OFTEN to get the salt off...and this is in reference to the design flaw...read the whole quote. It was a response to you regarding that washing it will create more problems than when its dry about the 740.

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Die Dämmerung..............when dusk began to fall, when dawn begins to break

For those that drive their e38's all year I think a quarterly removal of the lower molding to wipe down the lower edge is a good thing to do. Also, I've been thinking about pumping a can of rust proofing product like CT's Formula 3000 or the Rust Check stuff inside the drain holes of the doors just so it will provide additional protection in the good and bad weather days. Of course, it's to be sprayed after a few warm dry days to ensure good coverage and spread.